A very Dudley story
by myrto.star.1
Summary: What happened to Dudley after Harry and the Dursleys part ways at the living room of #4 Privet drive? The life of a not-so-heroic hero. A canon compliant story to the 7 main books and to the best of my abilities. Rated T for violence and chaste kisses in chapters to come.
1. Chapter 1 of A very Dudley story

**Prologue – The first encounter**

 _I will embrace thy heart and thy mind,_

 _Even if one hurts, one damns mine._

The first time he saw her, she was dirty, wild and scared. She looked with desperate eyes pleading for help and yet strong and defiant like a cornered beast.

And he had never seen anything more beautiful.

He could never, till the end of his days, understand how and why she did it, but she remained thereafter by his side making him a better person, or rather making the good side prevail against the bad side of his heart. He who had never thought or acted on the interest of no one but himself found that, as she grabbed on to him, he could not find it in his selfish, cowardly heart to prise away the fingers that held his tightly.

 **Chapter 1 – The first touch of danger**

Dudley was sweating like a pig in the same t-shirt ,pale blue with the logo of a band that he had never heard of but looked cool all the same, that he had been wearing for the last 3 days. That was because of many circumstances but most importantly because they were forbidden from going out unaccompanied by either the droopy eyed woman or the twitchy, always smiling man, and they flat out refused to leave the sanctuary of the house except when strictly necessary. And something as mundane as laundry was evidently not strictly necessary. His mother on the other hand flat out refused to let them handle her family's clothes the same way they did theirs. This meant doing some weird flicking of the wooden sticks over them and proclaim them as good as new. Dudley wondered faintly if it actually worked.

Of course, the fact that they had been forced to abandon more than half of what they had packed when they had left back in June, 2 months ago now, had hardly helped with this situation.

'We can't possibly carry all this and 3 people to boot when disapparating and it would be dangerous to come back for them later', the man had tried to plead with Vernon Dursley.

His parents were adamant but the woman whispered, 'we have no time for this', and somehow she had grasped them by the wrists and disappeared.

Dudley remembered looking dumbfounded at the place where his parents had been standing but a moment ago. So shocked was he, that when the man grabbed his wrist with one hand and the handles of two large suitcases with the other, he didn't have time to react. Next thing he knew, he was experiencing a terrifying feeling. It was as if he was being pressed from all sides to occupy less space than his mass possibly could. Something was pressing against his chest so hard that he was about to suffocate. Then he was on his knees, retching on a patch of grass that had miraculously replaced the hard cement of the country road they were previously standing on.

'No worries, no worries, young man' wheezed the man still holding on to his wrist to prevent him from sprawling on the grass. 'Apparating for the first time is always a pickle'.

And then he was set on his feet and the puddle of sick was nowhere to be seen. His father was staggering and his mother was as white as paper but before any of them had time to get over the shock, they were ushered across the street and right at a brick wall. He had been sure that they would collide but in a blink of an eye the wall was behind them and it was not as solid as it had been a moment previously. An open gate stood behind them now.

The man proceeded to explain the means with which the house was protected but all Dudley could understand was that inside the brick wall was safe. Outside was not.

During the next two months he had only ventured outside for two quick visits to the local mini market for a fresh pack of cigarettes and the nervous Dedalus Diggle almost made him run to-and-fro. He was going to need another one soon he thought, frowning at the two cigarettes remaining inside the pack.

He was breaking the rules but only slightly. He was leaning against the pink bricks beside the gate that he could not see but knew was there. He needed this 5-minute break every evening from the small crowded house where they were all stuck with one another. At first, he had been perfectly fine with staying indoors, playing with his console all day long but soon he was bored out of his wits and craved the freedom he was used to. He, also, could no longer stand the constant tension and arguments between his parents and the other two residents of their sanctuary and voluntary, well mostly, prison.

Dudley finished his cigarette, sighed and was ready to return inside when he felt the smoldering heat of the early September evening reside and a damp, threatening chill taking its place…

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2 - The first act of heroism

**Note from writer:** The next chapter! I skipped a week but I will find my groove soon enough I hope. Thank you for your kind reviews Guest and alba! Thank you for the fav!

 **Disclaimer:** Idon't own anything but the plot of this chapter, everything else is of the respective owner J.K.R.

Chapter 2 – The first act of heroism

He felt the smoldering heat of the early September evening reside and a damp, threatening chill taking its place…

A moment later he couldn't see a thing. Everything seemed to have dimed, the street lights that hung from their metal posts every few blocks, the light from the windows of the apartment building that faced their way, the last rays of light from the already vanished sun, the first stars that hung low on the horizon visible between the tall buildings of the insignificant street. Dudley Dursley brought his hand close to his face and confusion swept through him as he couldn't see it even when it touched the tip of his nose. Then fear came and with it other emotions. Buried emotions that had been clinging near his heart unnoticed by his conscious mind. His fear that his cousin and that very scary wizard that had come to take Harry away last summer were right and there was something deeply flawed with him, his fear of being abandoned and alone and the knowledge that his parents were not so truthful nor always right as he had once thought. A knowledge that he did not want to consider but had rooted deep inside him and revealed their flaws to him even when he turned a blind eye.

Everything he had believed in had shattered gradually since his cousin had saved his life from those things that… those things that… oh god no… no surely it was because he had been thinking of that night that he could hear something more in the air than his own breath… Terrified he fumbled until he found the brick wall and was attempting to reach the hole moving as silently as he could (which was not very silently at all) when he heard a wail from a few feet behind him.

' _Expecto…_ '

'No Em, they will know if you do magic, they will find us, they will kill you, just run!'

Dudley stopped moving, not knowing why, he just could not find the will to move his muscles to get himself through the hole that he had located at last.

Another quieter wail, closer to a sob made him look behind him, trying to make something out, to penetrate the darkness.

'I can't…' a heavy breath, almost a gasp interrupted the childlike voice, 'I can't take it anymore. I can't do it Sara, I'm so tired. Let them come, I can't run any further anyway.

A shriek and a wail came from two mouths this time and Dudley found that he was covered in cold sweat, his stomach nauseous and his knees trembling. He knew that whatever had happened to him now was happening to the two girls and there was no Harry here to save them as had been for him. He didn't make consciously the decision, the words had escaped him before he knew it.

'Here' he whispered and then his voice gained volume with every word until he was positively shouting his lungs of. 'Here! I am here, can you hear me? This is a safe house they will not find you here. Can you come to me?

And they did. He heard two sets of voices half sobbing, half gasping for breath very near him, found a hand, grabbed it and pulled it inside the safety of the brick wall.

It felt like someone had flipped a switch. The cold disappeared and the summer heat returned and he could see the stars and the lamps and the light from the windows as well as the front door of his house slightly open. He found he was clutching the hand of a tall, a-bit-on-the-heavy-side girl with bright blue eyes and brown curly hair that was half supporting, half carrying a kid that looked like her (same eyes, same face) but with lighter, reddish hair in perfect locks and much smaller than her. The child had a great gaping gash just above the knee and blood was pouring out in an alarming steady flow.

Dudley didn't know what to think let alone what to do when the child, pale as chalk staggered and collapsed, her sister crouching beside her calling her name. Emily.

Thankfully at that moment the woman, Hestia, run to his side probably alarmed by his shouts. He had often seen her peeking behind the shatters in case something happened to him. Today was the first time he felt thankful for the presence of someone capable of dealing with the magical stuff.

'What happened?' She started to inquire but seing the bleeding child added ' oh god, just get inside' and without another word the woman took the little girl in her arms and walked briskly towards the house.

Dudley and the girl named Sara followed her slowly.

Inside they found the woman bent over the wound having ripped the jeans open while she was being bombarded by questions by Dedalus Digle who was evidently close to a nervous breakdown and a bewildered Vernon Dursley that had been ushered out of the couch by the woman.

Hestia seemed irritated and barked to the two men for silence both of whom thought better of infuriating her further at the moment. Seeing Sara who was furtively hiding behind Dudley she nodded for them to get closer.

'Don't be afraid child, my name is Hestia Jones and I need you to tell me how your sister acquired this wound so that I know what actions are needed in order to heal her.'

'She will be alright, won't she?' begged the girl plainly terrified of the answer but compelled to ask it anyway.

'She will live but the wound is deep and it is also magical. I need to know what caused it in order to safely heal it.'

'We, my sister and I…' the girl gulped 'we are alone…'

'That is easy enough to tell child' the woman said impatiently but not unkindly, 'what worries me is why but we can leave the full account for after your sister is treated and resting.'

The girl appeared to struggle and Dudley was beginning to feel exasperated at the woman. Why was she nagging the girl and didn't take the injured one at the hospital?

Then the kid at the sofa opened her eyes and looked at her sister. 'It's ok Sara they are wizards too you know, you can tell them.'

At those words Dudley saw his father back away from the sofa toward the hallway and shot his son a meaningful look that made Dudley realize that he was standing among four wizards. A shiver run down his spine ( he could not help it) but the times when he would run to hide from everything magical had passed. The fragments of news that trickled into his bedroom from the weird radio that Hestia activated when she thought the Dursley's would not hear, along with her reactions, gasps of pain at the name of a dead loved one and sobs as often as not, was enough to convince him that the war was real and that without the two wizards his family had no chance.

He remained planted beside the now stammering girl…

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3 – The girl's story

**Note from writer:** So! This is the 3rd chapter! It is late i know but life happened. Expect a treat in 2-3 days as an apology for the delay! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I do not have any profit from writing this story.

Thank you for the revew Lunaz! And Mr Guest thanks again! Although if it isn't too much trouble i would like you to elaborate since i have no idea as to what you mean with ''Choppy'' and so i can't try to fix it.

Chapter 3 – The girl's story

He remained planted beside the now stammering girl and prodded her side to make her pay attention to him.

'It's ok, they are not with the bad wizard.' He said remembering, everything that had been said about the one that had been trying to kill his cousin and assuming that the girl was afraid of them, fearing that they were in his side.

That seemed to calm the girl enough for her to start talking in a wavering whisper. 'She splinched. Yesterday she disappeared suddenly from home and we didn't know where she was untill i receaved a letter from her. She asked me to come find her alone and bring some of her stuff with me so that she could leave us because they were suspecting that she was with us and didn't want to put us in danger. I did as she said but when I reached our appointment they followed me without me knowing it and attacked us. My sister panicked and apparated us here although she has not passed her test yet and so she splinched.'

Sara had only just spoken the first few words when Hestia bowed above the injured knee and begun making weird movements with her wand. Sara's voice trailed of and she would have stopped talking if Dudley had not prodded her side again to coax her to continue with her story. She gave him an inquiring glance and he whispered 'why?' She seemed to realize what he was asking her because the words burst out of her.

'I don't know why they were after her exactly, I mean we are muggle-born but it felt like it was something more than that when they confronted us earlier, that, she has to tell us herself but there is a reason that they are not after me and our parents. Or at least they were not until today. It is a long story though.' After these words she looked uncertain as if she did not know whether they wanted her to keep talking or not and if she herself wanted to continue.

'Go on child, I am very interested as to why two girls of your age have come to be alone.' Hestia turned to look at her for a split second before bowing her head towards the injured kid again.

After a few more uncertain moments, Sara began her story. 'My family originates from Newcastle and my parents belonged to the Christian Catholic Community of St. Nicholas. When I was 4 years old I started to do funny things like changing colors to my bedclothes and hover my toys and so forth and that really scared them. At first they tried to exorcise it from me thinking that I was cursed or something. By the time that my baby sister 3 years later started doing about the same things they had admitted defeat and simply tried to keep it a secret from everyone else.'

'As I grew up I saw that my magic was a cause of grief to my parents and hid the outbursts of magic as best I could. My sister did not, and even made it difficult by throwing tantrums about her magic and how much she liked it that she was standing out in the community so much that finally my parents thought it would be safer for us to leave Newcastle and hide in our anonymity in London.'

'There we were taught to hide our magic everywhere but at home and things calmed down until the letter came for me when I turned 11. One day during the summer holidays a severe looking woman knocked our door and explained all about this wizarding world within ower own and offered me a place at this school which I refused because I saw the distress it caused my parents.' At these words Hestia and Dedalus exchanged a weary look. Seeing that, Sara hurried on. 'My parents were brought up to have a strong faith in church and ower existence was proof that something was wrong with either the teachings of church or with the world. Their faith prevailed and I remember that my mother cried every time she laid her eyes on me for a week after that visit.'

'After that, another wizard came to see us and he looked more like a wizard than the woman had, perhaps thanks to the long white hair and beard. I asked him if he could take my magic away from me but he said he could not. When I begged him to let me stay home though he assured me that he could make it so I would be allowed to stay if I really wanted to and when I told him I did he left.'

'My parents calmed down after that and life went to normal for my family until school started again. At my new high school I was the only one to have 3 extra hours in my timetable and when I asked my classes homeroom teacher about it she told me that I would have to wait outside her study after the end of class. I did as she asked but it was another woman that awaited me there when I reached the study. She explained that she was a witch working for the ministry of magic and that professor Dumbledore had asked her to teach me how to use and control magic. I never told my parents that and I learnt many things during the next 3 years with her but it was my sister's turn after that.'

'The letter came and she replied without the knowledge of ower parents' and next thing we knew Mr. Dumbledore was back explaining what my sister had done to my utterly bewildered parents. My father yelled at my sister calling her abnormal and uncooperative. My sister was crying then and the wizard became stern and told my father that with or without his approval the wizarding world existed and if we wanted to be a part of it, he could not stop us.

Father retorted that we had no place in that world and shouted at Emily that she ought to be more like me but this was something of a sore spot for her because she had always been compared to me and she revealed the fact that I had been studying magic for 3 years and my mom was crying by then.'

'When we all calmed down, my father said that we would be free to go to that school if we wanted but if we did he would ask from Mr. Dumbledore to find suitable wizarding families to take as in because he would give as up for adoption. Nothing we, or Mr. Dumbledore said could change his mind. I decided to stay home and stop studying magic. My sister chose to go. My father said that she could stay until a good family was found and Mr. Dumbledore left. Emily left the 1st of September and by Christmas the procedure for the adoption had concluded so I only saw her once or twice each break.'

Sara stopped long enough for her to look at the soundly sleeping Emily whose treatment was complete and sit beside her on the sofa.

'Things became bad last year when she showed up at my prep school right after the end of term and positively begged me to speak to me alone. She explained everything about you-know-who and about the danger to muggle-borns and she was reduced into tears while reciting how they had come for her at her new place and how her guardian had protected her with his life by stopping the death-eaters long enough for her to escape them and that she could no longer go back to Hogwarts and she nowhere to go.'

'I took her home and my parents consented to let her stay when they understood in what danger she was and why. I knew I was not in the wizard records because I had not taken the Owl tests so ower home should be safe and I was right because they only found her because of her using magic to banish some dementors yesterday.'

Sara was interrupted by a shriek from the doorway indicating that Dudley's mother had seen the girls…


	4. Chapter 4 - The Dursley's wrath

**Title:** A very Dudley story

 **Disclaimer:** J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters. I do not have any profit from writing this story.

 **Note from writer:** I am getting used to runing late i am afraid but colledge tends ti keep me occupied. Well at least Chapter 4 is ready and 5 is on the making. thank you for the follow, you like the story i take it? Mr. Guest i am still waiting for an answer.

Chapter 4 – The Dursley's Wrath.

'What is going on here?' Her shrill voice echoed through the hallway and broke the spell that had befallen all in the living room while listening to the whispered story. Even Sara herself, seemed to be brought back from a reverie, wondering, jaws clenched, if it was really on her own accord that she had revealed so much to a bunch of strangers.

'Who are these girls? Vernon?' Petunia demanded turning to her husband and even though he was taller than her, she suddenly seemed to tower above him. She seemed to tower above everybody in the room really.

'Sh-She…' Vernon Dursley stammered, cleared his throat and attempted to collect his thoughts. Dudley was sure that whatever his father's notions and beliefs about the magical world, he had been entranced by Sara's story as everyone else had. 'The girl was hurt my dear and…' He begun again with a steadier voice but a look from his wife made him drop the sentence altogether.

His mothers face was becoming flashed and blotchy. Dudley, having seen that expression on her face seconds before she exploded on her nephew, had an inkling on what was coming and, to his utter amazement, he found that he very much wished the upcoming storm would not scare the sleeping child or the trembling girl with the guarded demeanor and the clenched jaw.

'Oh, so she was hurt, wasn't she?' Petunias voice dripped sarcasm. 'And you didn't think that it could be a ploy? They could be spies or even worse! I am sure your lot can make yourselves look all innocent! You could get us all killed!' She was downright shouting by the end and her eyes shot daggers at the two full grown wizards. Dudley supposed that his mother, having known a witch, her sister, although he could not think of her as his aunt, she could appreciate the dangers that magic could pose much better than he or his father could but he was sure the two girls were not a threat. At least not directly. Besides, Hestia would not have acted rashly if she believed the girls to be imposters and Dudley was inclined to believe her rather than his mother in such matters.

Petunia was opening her mouth once more, apparently with the intent to keep hissing and Dudley saw the signs in Hestia's straitening form and frowned face, that the older woman was bracing herself to make a retort while the men were looking to and fro, awaiting the storm to hit home, wisely not daring to interfere.

Dudley, being bored of their almost daily rows, ordinarily would have taken this as the queue and disappeared in his room closing his door behind him in an attempt to drown the hissing and shrieking of the two women. This time however, for the first and, he hoped, the last time, he had something to say on the subject. It was the look in Sara's face that propelled him really. She was looking at him, no maybe staring would be more accurate, and it was a look he was not accustomed to receiving. It was unlike the looks of fear or malicious expectation that he knew from his peers' eyes or the smoldering adoration, reserved for him by his family. Not even the cautious defiance that sometimes sparked in his cousin's face. Sara's glance was furtive and cautious, yes. But a clear expectation, a plea for a help, nonetheless.

And what was more, he realized that she was expecting help from him because he had helped her once a few minutes before. As surprising as this fact was, he was trully flabbergasted when he examined the response of his own feelings to her gaze. He did not want to disappoint her. And that is why, a few seconds later he had opened his mouth, cutting across his mother, and making the hole room stare with expressions varying from perplexed interest to utter horror.

'Mom, we cannot simply tell them to leave even if it does get us in danger.' Silence had swallowed the room and Dudley, resolved to speak his mind, continued. He wanted to make sure that his mother was thoroughly aware of his point of view. If she did, he knew she would never object to what he wanted. 'There is that ''dementors'' thing out there, mom, I felt them. If we make them leave they will suffer what I did that time and it's terrible.'

He could practically see his mother's brain work, trying to compromise the dread she felt for the two girls and the world they represented and impulse to give him whatever it is that he wanted. The need to keep him happy overcame her fear, as he knew it would, and she came pale and with pursed lips, to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

It was his father's turn to become a bright red color. 'Those dementoid things again? I thought you were supposed to protect us.' He spat at the nervous Dedalus. 'I thought that we would be safe here. Didn't we abandon our house and comfort, my job and Dudley's school so that we would not be in danger from your lot?' He would have said more, towering over Dedalus having almost pinned him on the wall, flecks of spit landing on the stammering wizard's face, if Hestia hadn't intervened. She always showed more backbone in dealing with his parents than the man ever did.

'It's not that simple Mr. Dursley.' Her voice was calm and steady, nothing like his father's shouts, but she had no trouble making herself heard. 'The wizarding world is in the midst of a raging war. The ministry has fallen.' Gasps of surprise came from around the room and a wail from a dismayed Dedalus as he slipped to the ground. 'I am sorry, Dedalus, I did not have the heart to tell you. It's been a while now. Scrimgeour is dead and the city of London is a true battlefield.' She moved to the man's side from where she was crouched beside Emily and helped him to his feet. 'Our side is still fighting Dedalus, don't lose hope.'

Turning once again to face his father she persisted to acquaint them with their grim reality, everyone listening intently. Dudley thought that his parent's not arguing for once, was a testimony to the gravity of the situation. 'We are protected enough here thanks to the fidelity charm and sufficiently out of the way, many miles from London and as long as the small number of people from the order that knew details of the plan are not caught, or if caught, they don't brake under torture, we will not suffer a planned and therefore a full on attack by death eaters.' Dedalus took a shuddering breath, closely reminding a sob. 'That does not mean however that random attacks may not come our way. Dedalus and me, we will do anything in our power to protect you because we promised Harry we would and we won't fail him but we are but two wizards and I cannot promise certainty now that things are getting bad.'

Everyone in the room seemed to have deflated a bit and silence followed Hestia's words. Then, his father, rousing from a state of deep thought was suddenly very red in the face once more. He did not shout at her though, as Dudley expected, watching the color fill his face. On the contrary his voice was calm and collected, clearly a sign of demur. 'Then why, in the name of god, did you allow those two inside if things are as dangerous as you say, woman?'

Hestia's voice was ice cold and precise as she answered. 'Because I will not allow a child to die in front of me even if I have to forfeit my life in exchange for his'…

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5 - Quiet talk

**Title:** A Very Dudley Story

 **Disclaimer:** I do not make profit from the story, the lovely J. K. owns everything but the current plot.

 **Author's note:** So, I have a few sorry's to say after this huge hiatus. Last month my pc was busted and I lost many things of value to me including an original story 400 pages long that I had been writing for about 2 years and some things university related and the chapters 5 and 6 of this story. I was so angry and it took me a while to even decide if I wanted to continue and I might have not if it wasn't for a certain review from **BeYoushelf.** I want to thank you and express how grateful I am that something us unimportant as a story I started to work on can have such an impression upon a fellow human. (I didn't quite get the P.s. though, sorry) For that I refused to abandon this story and although it took me some time to get to it I am now in a good place to keep going. With no further ado, please enjoy the…

Chapter 5 – Quiet talk

'Because I will not allow a child to die in front of me even if I have to forfeit my life in exchange for his'…

Dudley was impressed by the steely gaze and the icy tone of the usually placid and soft-spoken woman. She was standing upright and her small stature did not stop her from looking impressive as she looked each one in the eyes, daring them to continue the argument. When no one did, Hestia scooped the pale Emily up in her embrace making Dudley wonder at the strength those wiry arms apparently had, and moved gracefully to the stairs presumably to find a quieter place so the child could rest. The room was subdued after their departure.

Dedalus, visibly shaken by the news Hestia had delivered, was obviously too preoccupied with his thoughts to talk. Sara, nervous about everything and everyone was looking from the floor to him, to his parents, to the stairs where her sister had disappeared, to the floor in circles. His parents were looking at each other. His father, red still in the face, was evidently displeased with the wizards and with the state of things. His mother, pale and with pursed lips was restraining her anger and indignation, Dudley knew, in a misguided attempt to spare her child the fear and worry. Once he was out of earshot was when she would explode as had been happening for years and years. For the first time ever he was not inclined to ignore the predicament they found themselves in, nor was he eager to try and eavesdrop in hopes of hearing her vile temper spill out on someone.

He did not much care for Dedalus who was, after all, a grown man and a wizard but he very much wanted to spare Sara the pain of having to hear herself discussed with little civility and no kindness. When he caught her gaze again he silently nodded at her and he moved towards the entrance hall willing her to understand his invitation.

'Where are you going Diddy?' His mother asked with a worried voice. He simply shrugged and pointed at the door. He saw her eyes bulge and harried on to explain his reasoning. 'Mom, it's ok, I'll be safe outside as long as I keep inside the wall. Remember? It's too hot in here.' She bit her lip but, being unable to not give him what he wanted his mother consented with a nod. 'Ok, Diddikins, but please be careful.' Mortified by the silly name he moved again.

Sara moved towards him, fortunately, and he caught her hand to pull her outside so his mother would not stop her. Once outside, Sara calmed down a bit and cast him an interested look rather than a frightened one. The hand he still held twitched in his hand and he tried to let go but she griped it and tugged him so he would stand facing her. 'Hi, I'm Sara' she introduced herself in a not-quite-a-whisper. 'Dudley' he answered and she shook their griped hands.

She let her hand drop to her side and leaned against the wall next to the front door before speaking again. 'Thank you for saving us. Many don't trouble themselves with strangers.' The frost in her voice surprised him, after all, he was used to thinking selfishness was most common and selflessness the exception to the rule. His parents had objected to housing the girls and that was a sensible thing to do if they feared for their own safety. He did not know still why he had felt obliged to make his mother agree to risk the heightened danger for the sake of the two girls but he did not want to think of them, victims of the dementors.

The girl looked pale and tired he noticed. 'Are you hungry?' he asked her.

A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes, her head resting against the wall. 'No. Well ,yes. But what I would really like right now is the chance to take a bath.' It was true, the girl really needed it. Her cloths were dirty with dust and specs of blood, her hair full of debris and her face smudged. He flopped on the front step and felt the need to explain why he had dragged her outside. 'Things are a bit tense inside right now. In a bit things will have calmed down and Hestia will have had time enough to look after your sister. We will ask Dedalus for some food and Hestia for some clean cloths.'

Sara sat cross-legged on the grass having no room beside her (he was huge after all) and looked at him with a look he could not place. 'It seems I ow you many thanks in one day' she remarked tiredly. Again the gratitude took him by surprise and didn't know what answer she was waiting for. She was still looking at him, he saw and a bit later she spoke her mind. 'So your mother and father are not wizards. What about you?'

'No we are all normal.' She furrowed her brows at that. 'Am, then how do you know about us? And why are you hiding?' Her question took him by surprise. 'Shouldn't we know?' It was her turn to be perplexed as she answered his question. 'No you shouldn't. There is this law that the ministry of magic has enforced that prevents the wizards from using magic or talking about it to muggles. My parents knew only because we were magical and we were too young to control it.' That surprised him and he understood why the girl was asking. If he was not magical then nor he nor his parents should have known. She didn't know about Harry. 'Well you see we used to live with my cousin because his parents were dead and he is a wizard.'

'Oh, that makes sense. And it explains why he was anxious about your safety. Unlike us, your parents were the official guardians of your cousin so they could be found to the wizard records and since you are muggles, you are in much danger. I hope that there were enough volunteers because the muggle-born wizards and their parents are the most vulnerable in this regime.' There were many things in those words that Dudley did not quite understand and it must have shown in his features because Sara asked 'How much do you know about this war and who is responsible for it?'

'Well I know that it's a wizard war?' He could not keep the question out of his voice. He really didn't know anything about the wizarding world. Sara looked exasperated. 'Don't you at least know why you are required to hide?' Dudley thought that this was a strange question. 'Well it's because my cousin said that bad wizards would like to hurt us because of him.'

'That's really an understatement.' Sara said and she sighed again. 'There were things I didn't know, not being a part of the wizarding world myself but Emily has pretty much told me everything she knows. It all started because there is a certain prejudice in the wizarding world that claims that wizards are better than muggles and therefore they should be dominant.' That shocked Dudley so much that he could do nothing but stare at the girl beside him with his mouth hanging open. 'Yes, that is exactly my reaction when Emily told me.' Sara laughed lightly. 'It's exactly like saying that people from Africa are less worthy because they are black or heterosexuals are better parents because they are physically able to produce an offspring.'

Dudley really had nothing to say to that. His parents had always said that black people were dumb and homosexuals, unnatural. 'But really it's not like that.' Sara continued oblivious to his thoughts. 'I mean it's so stupid. The color of the skin has nothing to do with how smart or kind or anything really apart from how well one can withstand the strong sun and sexuality has nothing to do with how good a parent you are. There are many heterosexual families that should never be allowed to have children. What with the number of abused children that come to light frequently all over the world. It's the same with this rubbish about muggles and muggle-born wizards vs poorbloods.'

Dudley had an inkling about what it meant but he wanted to be sure so he asked. 'Poorbloods?'

'They are the wizards that were born by magical parents. There are some wizarding families that are very old. And some of them think, that makes them better than everyone else. It's people like them that are raging this war. Of course, this belief is not new. Things got out of hand because of a very bad wizard that is very powerful and is obsessed with purging the wizarding world from those that he thinks are unworthy of magic, the muggle-borns, and wants to reign the world. There are many wizards that resist him but one of the greatest wizards of all time and the only one that the bad wizard truly feared died a few months before and since then things don't look that good.'

Dudley thought that his cousin and Hestia and Dedalus must be part of that opposition movement as Harry's parents before him, which also explained why the bad wizard had killed them and was after him and the Dursleys now. Sara's explanation really explained many things.

'So we have to hide because my cousin is a revolutionary?' He said indignantly. Thinking of the anarchists his father used to call -bloody anarchist urchins-. Sara's eyes bulged. 'Your cousin is part of the opposition?' Dudley huffed. 'He must have been because he said that there was a chance the bad guys would come and attack us to try and make him comply or as a trap. Why did he have to put us in danger so? He could have kept his head down.' Dudley was angry with his cousin for being the reason they had to hide like refugees.

Sara smiled a little but her words were harsh and unmoving. 'You should be proud that he is one of those that are brave enough to fight that dictator and trying to prevent him from making a living hell out of this world…

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6 - Involuntary Changes

**Disclaimer:** I do not make profit from the story, the lovely J. K. owns everything but the current plot.

 **Chapter 6 – Involuntary Changes**

'You should be proud that he is one of those that are brave enough to fight that dictator and trying to prevent him from making a living hell out of this world.'

Dudley really didn't know what to say to those words and he felt embarrassed without exactly understanding why. He stood up and placed an ear at the door. Meeting only silence he opened it. 'It should be ok now, my mother has obviously stopped shouting.' He looked at Sara and added. 'I think it's time to get you some clothes and a towel and we need Hestia for that.' They presided inside, through the living room and to the staircase that leaded to the bedrooms in the second floor. Dudley guessed that Hestia would have taken Emily to her own room and as it turned out, he was right.

Approaching Hestia's room, he saw the door was open and Emily was sleeping once more, comfortably placed on the bed in the middle of the room. Dudley had never seen the older witch's room and was surprised at the colorful drapes on the bed, the curtains and the assortment of weird looking devices, tools, personal belongings and paraphernalia. What surprised him more than the unexpectedly cheerful room though was the state he found its owner. In complete contrast to her surroundings Hestia herself was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands and her small, slender body hunched and tired. The sight of the strong woman looking anything less than calm and steady, tagged something inside him and Dudley found himself wanting to do something for her. He was completely at a loss though as he had never been in the situation before.

Finally, he cleared his throat to get her attention and resorted to simply stating his business, promising himself to get her a cup of tea after Sara got on with her shower. 'Umm… Hi… Sara needs a shower, could you help with clothes and such?' He was surprised to see her face was dry as she looked at him quizzically. 'Sure Dudley, I wanted to make sure she was not hurt anyway. Come dear, we will get you comfortable.' She added, seeing Sara looking tentatively from somewhere behind his back.

Dudley left the women and walked downstairs again. Once there, he found that the kitchen was not empty. Dedalus was sitting in a chair in front of the wooden table looking at the wall without really seeing it. Tears were splashing on the table and In the mug that sat in front of him. Dudley was at a loss one too many times today as it was and was not impressed by the older man's tears. Really, if Hestia had the strength or self-control to be useful in spite of her grief, so could Dedalus.

He cleared his throat, gain, and he moved clumsily (as usual) to make Hestia a cup of tea while giving time to Dedalus to compose himself. When the tea, tow cups and biscuits where ready and waiting he turned to talk to Dedalus that had thankfully stopped crying and was watching his movements. 'Dedalus?' he asked feeling weird calling the man for the first time. The wizard looked at him clearly baffled. 'Um… could you make something for Sara to eat? And Emily if she wakes up?' He added on second thought. Dedalus gave a start and got up. 'Yes of course my boy.' He was already placing vegetables in a pan when Dudley left the room to take the tray upstairs, walking carefully and slowly lest he spill the tea.

When in front of the now closed door of Hestia's room, Dudley found himself in a predicament. He had no hands to knock. He thought briefly of setting the tray on the floor to free his hands but he was not sure if he would be able to pick it up again without making the cups tumble. He settled for moving closer to the door and half spoke, half shouted her name.

The door opened in a blink of an eye so fast and so abruptly that the Dudley lost his grip on the tray. With a flick of her wand Hestia saved it from crushing on the floor with only a little of the tea trickling down the sides of the cup. Perhaps shouting her name was not a great idea after all Dudley reflected since she would be on edge waiting for possible dangers.

She seemed annoyed at first but then she sighed and looked at him appraisingly. Her gaze made him squirm a little in discomfort. She really gave the impression that she could see his soul when she looked at him this way. He felt the need to explain himself. 'When someone is upset or after a long day mom makes tea. I thought you would like a cup? Or maybe Sara would...' He trailed off uncertainly but the smile she gave him was warm if tired.

'Sara is having a shower and after she gets ready she might prefer something to eat but I will have some. Would you like to join me downstairs so as not to disturb Emily?' Dudley didn't know if he wanted to but he felt he had to say yes because it was the first time anyone asked him for company. Sure his friends wanted to be part of his gang and at school his goodwill was sought after but they wanted his protection or the chance to avoid bulling by being part of the bullies not his company. No one wanted his company and he knew it, he was not stupid.

He followed Hestia back in the kitchen with the tray hovering in front of her and they found Dedalus spacing out holding a pan with suspiciously dark vegetables. Dudley heard Hestia breathing a huge sigh but her voice was soft and kind when she talked to the man. 'I'll make the girls something Dedalus please go to bed. I'll also take your shift tonight.'

Dedalus was startled and he stammered out 'N… No Hestia I… I'm…' The woman smiled kindly and gave him a gentle push, simultaneously taking the pan from his hands. 'Go to bed Dedalus. Today was eventful and we will need you to be functional tomorrow just in case.'

Once Dedalus was out of the room the smile drained from her face and gave one more humongous sigh. She placed the tray on the table and gestured for him to take a seat. Then she opened a cabinet and took out a weird-looking-bottle with umber liquid inside. She uncorked it and poured a little inside each cup. 'I think you've earned this much today young man.' She added and gave him one of the cups and then took a sip from the other.

As Hestia started the girl's dinner, from scratch since the vegetables where completely charred by this point, Dudley brought the cup to his lips and drank. The taste was both familiar and foreign. The fragrant breakfast-tea they had in the afternoons along with the familiar whiff of alcohol, too strong for the small amount of the amber liquid added, and a calming, peppery, sweet aftertaste that warmed him. And in a good way too. Not the warm-drink-in-the-hellishly-hot-summertime way that makes you sweat even more than usual.

After a short silence, sprinkled by the sounds of the knife and the pan, Dudley resolved to ask the questions that were bugging him since the earlier talk with Sara. 'Hestia?' He began. 'Is Harry really a revolutionary?' Her movements stilled for a moment before she could compose the scowl that had marred her kind features. She resumed and replied with a question of her own. 'You really don't know anything about your cousin do you?'

Dudley dropped his gaze on the table and swallowed the remaining tea in his cup in a big gulp (more than half the cup really). It was not easy to talk about the wizarding world or about his cousin not least because he was taught to ignore them for all his life. 'No, I suppose I don't'. He answered finally not looking up but willing Hestia to understand the need to finally know about the whys and the hows that had led to this current state of events…

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7 - Talking with Hestia

**Title:** A Very Dudley Story

 **Disclaimer:** I do not make profit from the story, the lovely J. K. owns everything but the current plot.

 **Author's note:** I am continuing with the story, my style as you have probably guessed by now is a bit slow and character driven. There will be some action weaved in but the gist of it is the relationships and character growth. If something is amiss i would like to know about it and some form of feedback would be appreciated.

 **Chapter 7 – Talking with Hestia**

He needed to finally know about the whys and the hows that had led to this current state of events…

Hestia remained silent for a while, so much so that Dudley was considering simply going to bed but then she started talking in a thoughtful voice. She explained how a man named Tom Riddle had started gaining power and how he was a charismatic and capable leader both in politics and in his magical knowledge. 'The general public had three types of reaction to his preaching. They were either viewing him as a messiah that had come to liberate the wizards and lead them to rise to power, in their rightful place governing the muggles and muggle-borns. There were those that clearly and openly opposed him, those that fought for equality. There was also a big part of the public that didn't know how to react or simply didn't care. In those days strange disappearances started to occur. Not many linked them to the charismatic leader of the conservative sect of pure-bloods but Albus Dumbledore not only traced the disappearances to him but he formed a secret society that attempted to delay him and save all the innocent lives they could.'

Dudley was finding this story fascinating. 'So when you say disappearances…' Hestia had a grim look in her eyes. 'I mean murders. He was getting ready for a coup d'état and he had started eliminating the opposition. The outspoken equalists in the ministry were the first to disappear, the minister of magic was murdered and things started to become worse from then on. As time passed he reigned a reign of fear. People didn't know who to trust and new deaths were happening, although many were hushed up, almost daily. The only ones that resisted were the members of the order. And then, 17 years from today, a prophecy was made that bode the end of his reign by the son of those that had thrice defied him.'

Dudley's eyes opened wide. 'Do you mean Harry?' He couldn't believe this. First of all, a prophecy? Did these people really believe in prophecies? And then how could they be sure that it was Harry?

'The funny thing is that I don't know if it meant Harry at all. But what was important in the end was that the other side believed it. He came on Halloween at the Potters house and killed Lilly and James but when he tried to kill Harry, a baby of 1 years old, the curse rebounded and he disappeared. Before you ask no one knows exactly why or how Harry lived from that curse. Albus believed that it was an ancient spell that was invoked by Lilly's sacrifice but it never was quite clear. The point is that whatever happened that night, Harry Potter is the only person to have ever survived the killing curse and by doing so, he defeated the most dangerous dark wizard of all time. That is why he was famous in our world.'

After all this Dudley was speechless. This was starting to dangerously resemble science fiction. He then thought of something bizarre. 'Mom said that we had to take him in because nobody else wanted him. That cannot be true, surely, after everything you just told me.' Hestia's eyebrows where nearing her hairline but she answered calmly. 'In the wizarding world blood relationships are held in high regard mostly because of a branch of a bit obscure type of magic called blood magic. There is power in blood and as Harry shared his mother's blood with you and your mother, through you the magic invoked by Lilly lived and provided a strong protection for Harry. Many said that Tom Riddle had died when he attacked Harry that night but Albus never believed it. He thought that he would come back one day and therefore wanted Harry to be protected. As it happens he was correct.'

'And now Harry is fighting this man? Is that why he left?' Dudley asked. Hestia looked at him thoughtfully. 'There are many that believe that Harry is the one that will end this war as he did the last one. Although it is not very realistic that he can do it alone, it is also common knowledge within the order that Albus gave him a job to do, something only he can do. What I believe is that Harry has somehow the power to destabilize him. After that it will be up to the wizarding world to fight for a better tomorrow. There is only one thing I know for certain and that is that Harry is the symbol of the movement against evil and even if he is not destined to beat him, he has Albus's legacy and knowledge and will play a big part in this war.'

As Dudley was trying to wrap his head around everything he had just heard, Sara walked in the room with her hair damp and wearing one of his T-shirts and a knee-high trouser shorts that looked like one that Hestia frequently wore but seemed to be suspiciously bigger than the last time he had seen it.

'Come and sit with us Sara.' Hestia asked her and placed in front of her a plate of rice and vegetables. Sara sat and by the way she consumed the still steaming food, Dudley thought that she must have not eaten anything all day. Hestia smiled kindly and turned to clean up the kitchen. When Sara was done she took her plate and gave her a cup of tea filling Dudley's cup as well as her own. 'Thank you for everything ma'am.' Hestia looked aghast. 'How old do you take me for, girl? Just call me Hestia like everyone does or I'll feel old.'

Dudley actually laughed at that. He was so surprised by the normalcy of that statement coming from a woman that had, up to very recently, not seamed human at all in his eyes. 'How old are you Hestia?' He asked teasingly as he would ask the older sister of his friend Piers before she was married. She looked affronted. 'Has nobody told you that it's rude to ask a girl her age?' But then she laughed presumably because he was laughing too. It felt too good to laugh after the two awkward months that had passed in virtual silence between the magical and non-magical residents of the house. A companionable silence fell for a while and Dudley reflected that he suddenly found himself quite liking the older woman. The silence was broken by Hestia who had evidently noticed that Sara would soon fall asleep where she was sitting, her cup held precariously in one wavering hand.

'If you'll excuse me I am going to transfigure my dresser into a camp bed and I am going to bed. Are you coming Sara? You can sleep in my bed with your sister.' Sara nodded, drained the cup and stood to follow Hestia. Both women wished Dudley good night and climbed the stairs. Dudley looked around the kitchen. Hestia had washed everything except the three empty tea cups. He took them to the sink and washed them clumsily but very carefully so that his mother would not find an excuse to complain to Dedalus or Hestia in the morning and climbed to his own room. He had a lot to think about and the heat didn't exactly help so he ended up being awake until the early hours of the morning.

He woke up late, even by his standards, closer to afternoon really rather than lunchtime and he felt the clothes cling uncomfortably on his sweaty mass of a body. The strength and control he had gained over his body the last three years had already started to revers due to the lack of practice and he was steadily but surely resembling more the fat youth he had once been rather than the fighter he had hoped to become. That made him even less comfortable with the summer heat. Dudley was about to descend the stairwell when he heard a loud bang from Hestia's room…

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8 - Getting Started

**Disclaimer:** I do not make profit from the story, the lovely J. K. owns everything but the current plot.

 **Author's note:** Thank you for the favorite and follows and thank you for the kind words Mr Guest. And so i plow ahead with my story. Enjoy Chapter 8!

 **Chapter 8 – Getting Started**

Dudley was about to descend the stairwell when he heard a loud bang from Hestia's room. A yelp followed a moment later, then a thud and then silence. He froze in place and he would have stayed there, not daring to breathe, indefinitely if Hestia hadn't clambered up the stairs and brushed past him stopping in front of the closed door to her room. As she opened it, Dudley followed her, peering over her head to see inside. Sara was holding a wand that was pointing at her sister who was feebly stirring on the big bed. She had turned towards them hearing the door open and was gaping at Hestia who, he thought, must have a really scary expression because Sara stammered 'I… Em… Emily thought that since I am 17 I should be able to do magic without them finding us and therefore I should take her wand and practice. She was teaching me the stupefy spell and I cast it and then I cast the counter… you know… enervate...'

Hestia sighed visibly and then stepped inside the room. After a small pause, evidently eying Dudley skeptically, she moved to allow him in and closed the door behind him. She sat beside the now-sitting-upright Emily and looked at her critically before asking. 'How are you feeling?' Her voice sounded half amused and half exasperated. 'Oh, I feel fine' Emily replied dismissively, 'it really was my idea M… Hestia'.

'Under the circumstances I have to commend the thought but please note that spells of that caliber can go terribly wrong by such inexperienced casters. You probably should practice a few spells if you can, both of you, in case of an emergency but only while supervised by Dedalus or I.' Emily perked up at that. 'So I can practice too? Won't they locate us if I do since I am underage?'

'Yes that is how you were found out, I believe,' Hestia stated looking at Sara, 'but while inside a wizards residence you can do magic without fear. It is outside and particularly in places where the presence of wizards close by is improbable that you should avoid using magic if you can, so that the ministry won't be able to trace your location.' Emily's brows were furrowed; Hestia's answer was evidently not explanation enough. 'But why' she asked 'and how can they know my position when I use magic?'

'Because of how the trace works. You see, the trace is a spell that is cast automatically to all wizarding children at the first signs of accidental magic and is reversed when they reach adulthood at 17. Do not ask me how or why this is done; only the witches and wizards that work in the department of mysteries know these things. The thing is, the spell utilizes what is called the magical signature of an individual to identify the caster and a locating spell to trace the location of magic that was cast by an underage wizard. But when in an adult wizard's residence or in places where many wizards tend to gather, such as the Diagon Alley or the Hogdmeade village, the spell becomes confused by the presence of other signatures and so it is safe to use magic.'

Dudley was listening in awe. For many years he had been terrified by the mere mention of magic but the last few years he was afraid and fascinated by it in equal measures, especially since he had met the white haired headmaster of his cousin's school that had come to collect Harry last year and had performed some mighty strange but not really harmful pieces of magic. Now that he had seen Hestia and Dedalus use magic in daily bases and he felt sure enough that magic would not be turned against him, he had the chance to truly appreciate it and he was looking forward to seeing more. His excitement shared Emily as was evident by her bouncing on her feet while looking at Hestia. 'Will you teach us, really? Like… today?' She pleaded. Hestia smiled. 'Let's wait for the sun to fall first and then I would be happy to.'

That was how, at 8 o clock in the evening, Dudley found himself sitting, with Sara by his side, on the grass in front of the house while Emily was standing, wand clutched in her hand, facing Hestia as she was explaining incantations, dueling techniques and wand movements. After a few minutes practicing alone to familiarize herself with the spells, Emily nodded at Hestia and the dueling started in earnest. It was evident to Dudley, almost immediately, that Hestia was not really dueling; rather she was creating opportunities for Emily to use the spells she had learned, all the while making indications and corrections.

As the time passed and Hestia started attacking Emily in turn, Dudley was beginning to think that magic was a really unfair advantage. Hestia was almost two heads shorter than him and slim but simply by standing her ground and saying a few words along with certain movement patterns of her wrist she had made Emily lose consciousness, woken her up, deflected Emily's attacks, flung her wand right out of her hand and transformed a boulder to a boar to create a diversion. After a while, Emily was bruised, red faced and completely out of breath while Hestia had barely broken a sweat.

'You are very good for your age Emily.' Hestia encouraged the rather disheartened looking girl. 'Your shield charm is really impressive but you seem to have a problem with your aim. You should practice it when alone by casting simple charms such as the levitation charm or hover charm to objects a bit further away. Well then let's see what you have to offer, Sara, with your unorthodox training.'

Sara and Emily changed places, Emily came to sit close but not quite next to Dudley and Sara stood in front of Hestia holding Emily's wand and looking worried. Dudley was so absorbed looking at the not-really-dueling-just-yet pair that he didn't notice Emily staring at him for a while. When it did finally register with him however, it made him feel self-conscious and very awkward. Even more unsettling was the fact that he didn't usually feel that way just because someone was staring. On the contrary he was used to people looking either admiringly or resentfully at him, for some reason or another, and he was perfectly happy to ignore them. Not now though. The eyes of the little girl on him felt not only uncomfortable but also frightfully deep, like she was looking at his soul without any intention of looking elsewhere any time soon.

'What?' He grunted finally, not being unable to bare her gaze anymore. 'You should practice too.' Emily said matter-of-factly. 'Practice what? I am not a wizard.' That seemed to surprise her and she remained silent watching him for a while and frowning while Dudley squirmed under her gaze. 'Then there should be another way for you to fight. You should practice for that.' She piped in her thin girly voice. 'What are you talking about?' He asked her beginning to get angry at last. 'I don't know.' She said as if this should be expected. 'But you should know and that is enough.' She answered with the air of a case closed but without having really explained anything.

Dudley was feeling downright scared and really angry by now and he might have said so if Hestia's voice hadn't interrupted his thoughts at that precise moment. 'Not as bad as I would have thought but you really have a long way to go for you to be able to even have a chance of running away from a grown wizard. Now, I want you to take my wand, Sara, and try to disarm Emily. You, Emily, are only allowed to use spells that will not affect Sara at all such as shield charms or transfigurations and spells on yourself and on items in your surroundings in order to defend against Sara. You can also dodge if you can.'

Dudley watched as Emily crouched and leapt to dodge Sara's spells until she was breathing heavily at which point she stood at one position and blocked them instead yelling 'protego' each time Sara said 'expeliarmus'. Finally Hestia stopped them. 'I think that is enough for now. Sara, come with me and I will give you a spare wand Dedalus Is keeping. We will continue tomorrow. I will not stop you from practicing alone but I must ask not to perform spells on each other. Dueling practice should be supervised.'

As the three of them went inside, Dudley got up and moved to stand at his usual place outside the wall and took out a cigarette. The day had provided much to think about. First was the power of the spells he had seen today that had surprised and scared him. He could not think how he would be able to defend against them, if it came to that, and that frightened him. He was also perplexed and very uneasy remembering Emily's words. For some reason he could not stop thinking that her words had sealed his fate somehow. That was a stupid thing to think of coarse but he could not stop the goosebumps from showing on his arms when he remembered her gaze and her words that had been spoken out-loud as well as those that had not.

A voice next to him startled him out of his musings. 'What did my sister tell you…'

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9 - Getting in shape

**Disclaimer:** So, as you well know, i do not own J. K.'s characters, all that is mine is the plot of these chapters and the two girls, nothing more and nothing less.

 **Author's note:** Thank you everyone for reading my story, and thank you for the reviews and follows. This was a cannon story last time i checked so if you find any timeline mistakes (or any other type of mistake) plz inform me to crosscheck it. Enjoy the next chapter of: A Very Dudley Story! 

Chapter 9 – Getting in shape

'What did she tell you?' Sara insisted calmly. 'She must have said something peculiar for you to have such a reaction. Didn't she?'

Dudley felt half annoyed and half embarrassed by how much impact a child's simple words had had on him. He could not pinpoint exactly what it was, in her looks or tone of voice, that suggested such certainty and urgency which didn't fit with a half hazard comment or light conversation. Now though that the eerie sensation that had enveloped him making his hair stand on end while looking in Emily's eyes was fading, he was starting to feel like an idiot. And he didn't like the feeling having experienced it often enough because of magical people. He remained silent looking at everything but the girl beside him, feigning nonchalance, not wanting to let her see how bothered he was.

'Whatever she said, you should not ignore it.' Sara murmured a few seconds later apparently realizing that he wouldn't talk about it. 'Bad things happen to those that ignore Emily's words when she takes that tone.' Sara continued, now looking far away beyond the end of the road ahead, evidently lost in remembrance. 'Not that many do. The feeling of dread that she emanates when someone deliberately tries to ignore her warnings is terrible.'

Dudley was very disturbed by these words but with fake bravado he tried to make Sara see how stupid her sister must be, making such a suggestion. 'So you also believe that I should fight a wizard with my bare fists, do you?' That certainly seemed to startle Sara for her farseeing eyes focused on him once more, looking confused. 'She told me to practice for I would need to fight and when I told her I am no wizard she amended saying that she didn't know how but that I would fight and that I did know how. Well this is how I know to fight and a load of good it would do me against a wizard.' Dudley realized he had raised his voice quite a bit when he saw Sara looking around them worriedly for signs of someone having overheard him. He remembered in what danger she had been in and felt the need to protect her squash his anger at her sister. 'Let's go inside.' And without waiting for a response he caught her hand and dragged her inside much in the same way as the day before.

Inside the wall they found Hestia leaning against the front door, seemingly there by chance but undoubtedly on guard, Dudley knew, waiting for them to get inside in case they needed her.

'I happened to overhear you I'm afraid,' she joked when they neared her. 'Sara, am I to understand that your sister is some sort of seer?' Dudley knew the word from those weird people that someone could see on the corner of some obscure alleys, claiming to read peoples' futures in tea leaves or on the palm of their hands. When they passed such people on the roads his father would have a few things to say about them. Creeps, Frauds, Swindlers and other such names he spat, 'stealing honest peoples' money!' and so on and so forth. And surely many of them where simply imposters but if every other kind of magic was possible, why not fortune telling? After all, he had promised himself not to take everything at face value anymore. After that terrible occurrence two years before, he had decided to start thinking for himself instead of simply relying on his father's opinions for everything.

Sara had been considering Hestia for a few moments before speaking, presumably deciding to trust the older woman. 'Not a strong one yet but yes, she is. She is more accurate with people she hasn't known for long because her perception of the people she knows well, often clouds her soothsaying. Also she often chooses to overlook what she feels except when she perceives something very serious or fatal. After all,' she added thoughtfully, 'the future, Emily says, is erratic and fickle.'

'How many people at Hogwarts knew about her soothsaying do you know?' Hestia asked rather forcefully in Dudley's opinion. Sara shrugged 'no one but her most intimate friends believed her mostly because of that incompetent divination teacher that nobody took seriously.' At her words Hestia seemed to take a huge breath. 'That is good news indeed. If it was more widely known it could have reached dangerous ears and you would be in unfathomable danger. Still we had better be ready to leave in a moment's notice just in case.'

Dudley waited for Hestia to precede them inside to whisper to Sara, 'so how accurate is your sister,' his mind at Emily's insistence that he should practice boxing. Sara contemplated him before answering. 'If she shared her thoughts, pretty accurate I would say. She rarely conveys vague predictions unless she deems the consequences catastrophic.'

He was perplexed. He really couldn't see how he would be able to make any difference in a wizard fight with his fists.

The atmosphere in the house was at least stormy that night and the next few days. The fact that two witches, albeit young, had been added to the residents of the house had done nothing to improve the nervous anger of the adult Dursleys and Dudley's mother especially was as pettish as a wasp, snapping at everyone and everything in her vicinity. Hestia was also less calm and more apt to snap back at her when she was being too unreasonable while Dedalus was jittery and tended to drop anything he was holding at the smallest noise from the road. The girls, having nothing better to do, acquired the habit of spending hours at a time practicing their spell-work with and without Hestia's supervision while doing their best not to interfere with any other adult in the house.

Dudley, after spending one more evening at the company of the dueling witches, decided that quicker reflexes would, at least, help him dodge a few spells. So he spent the nights, when everyone else was sleeping, doing as many of the exercises that the school coach had drilled into him when he was competing, as he could and the mornings asleep. He would then wonder in the kitchen in search of a good lunch where he would find his mother grumbling and mumbling while attacking fancied stains.

He also tried to spend some time with his father in the living room. Dudley felt that he had never before talked with his father and he found it a sad thing that, for it to happen, their lives had to be so disturbed. The trick to make him talk from the heart was to talk little and not ask questions. Vernon Dursley was a man that talked when nobody else is and from his few words Dudley was finally able to make out his father's character. He was a simple man that had come from a family a bit on the weird side. Having a father who died an unacknowledged writer and a pro wrestler mother that everyone made fun of, he became by choice the opposite and craved normalcy only to learn, after his marriage to the woman he loved, that she had the weirdest relatives there could be. Having to raise their son must have been the last straw for him, not that anything could justify his treatment of Harry but Dudley could understand his father not wanting anything to do with unfortunate relations. He had, after all, a very grotesque aunt.

During dinner, which was the only meal that everyone in the house gathered together for, the awkwardness was palpable. Nobody talked much and Dedalus was more jumpy than ever, dropping his fork and knife whenever anyone addressed him. Somehow, Sara always took a seat beside him and Emily beside her leaving no place for his mother to sit in her usual place, something that did not go unnoticed by the two women. Hestia seemed amused by these arrangements while his mother was becoming sourer with every meal shooting angry glances at the girls and muttering to herself.

Everything changed for the unlikely lodgers the evening of the third of September when Sara came running down the staircase to find Dudley sitting with his father in front of the television, grabbed him by the hand ignoring his questions and his father's grunt and dragged him with her upstairs where Hestia, Dedalus and Emily where gathered around a weird device from where a crystal clear voice was emanating, as if the speaker was in the room with them. Sara positively screamed in his ear. 'They are talking about Harry Potter and I thought you would want to know...'

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10 - News

**Disclaimer:** i still don't own ANYTHING but the plot of this chapter, the characters and the world belong to the lovely J.K.

 **Author's note:** Thank you for the fave's and follow's and thank you for the revew fanHPTW. After a long time here is the next chapter!

Chapter 10 - News

«… Yes, River, they were sighted practically by half the ministry, leaving the building with a dozen of muggle-borns and escaping by apparition.» A soft voice informed the audience.

«You say that they escaped by apparition but how can you be certain of this Romulus? I know that our listeners as well as we all here would be devastated if it was true but it won't serve us well to turn a blind eye to the possibility that Harry might be dead if it indeed was him at the ministry.»

At these words Dudley took in a sharp breath. These people were indeed talking about his cousin and what was more, the news seemed grim. He didn't know how to feel at that. He couldn't pretend he would miss his cousin if he were dead but he would be sorry and he knew the magical community would be devastated.

«I assure you River; Harry Potter is not yet dead and is escaping capture. If this was not the case, the new regime would have broadcasted widely because they know as well as we do that the Boy who lived is the star of hope for those resisting. As for if it truly was Harry, the testimonials are divided but most reports agree that the intruders were two men and a woman with features varied. We can assume, I think, it was them but polyjuiced.»

Dudley rejoiced. He didn't really understand half of what was going on but the man seemed to know what he was talking about and he found himself being soothed by the soft, kindly voice.

«Thank you very much Romulus. And now, for the news that all parents have been waiting for, Lady Moon, would you be so kind as to give us the news concerning changes at Hogwarts for those that are living under a rock and don't read the prophet?»

«Certainly, River, Severus Snape, long standing spy and traitor of the order was appointed headmaster of Hogwarts taking the place of the man he killed, may Peeves give him hell. Along with him, the chief death eater has sent a pair of guard dogs that bare the filthy name of Carrow. The bitch, Alecto Carrow has taken the position of the retired, by the official line, murdered, by the unofficial one, muggle studies teacher Charity Burbage while her Death Eater of a husband Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. For the first time ever in its long history, attendance at Hogwarts is mandatory and the students are required to present a blood status in order to prove their relationship with a witch or wizard.»

Having understood next to nothing Dudley had only to look at the distraught faces of the three witches to know that things looked grim for their side.

«Very well, Lady Moon, and what happens if you refuse to give your blood status or can't prove such a relationship?»

«It's a one way road to Azkaban I am afraid, River, which is the most horrible news if you think that we are talking about eleven year old children.» The woman's voice was grave and a few moments of silence followed these words.

'What is Azka…' Dudley begun to ask before three voices shushed him and Sara whispered urgently 'Later.'

«Are we sure that this is the fate of all the muggle-borns, Lady Moon? Where do these news come from?»

«Today, in the early hours of the morning, people of the order made a guerilla attack and intercepted a transferring of prisoners from the ministry to Azkaban and helped the muggle – born students Collin and Denis Creevey, Justin Finch Fleshly, Ruddy Shelmin and the first years Emma Erin Malcolm and Liebert Brooks escape. It is from them that we have the explicit information on these transactions. If their parents are listening, they are all fine and hiding in safe houses. Sadly, we have no news of any other muggle-born students that were taken from Hogwarts and have yet to return home but be assured that the resistance continues and as soon as there is news Potterwatch will be here to broadcast anything and everything the prophet neglects to mention.»

Dudley was startled out of his attentive listening to the news by the small sobs that where coming from Emili's small hunched form. The little girl was kneeling down with her hands in front of her face and was trembling uncontrollably, trying to suppress her crying. He was shocked by this sight so much that he couldn't think of anything to say or do to lessen the child's distress. These might be people that the girl knew he realized; this was news from the war his cousin was fighting. How these people must be feeling while listening to this broadcast was beyond him to understand. It was Sara of coarse that went to her sister and hugged her tightly which made Emily cry harder. So hard in fact that Dudley almost missed the last words of the program.

«Thank you very much Lady Moon and with that, we have reached the end of today's broadcast, here at Potterwatch. We only wish to add a few words of caution for those muggle-borns that chose to run rather than give themselves up to the ministry. There is a reward of 100 galleons for each unregistered muggle-born out there and there are those that won't hesitate to profit from it so keep your heads down or contact one of the order and we will be happy to provide what help we can but if you do, be mindful that it is possible that there are imposters out there. Try to verify the identity of any known member of the order, the password among us is Albus Dumbledore and the correct answer is 'I am a member of Dumbledore's Army'. And with that, we will see you at the next broadcast, the password will be 'Fawkes', tune in for news that the prophet often decides to ignore.»


	11. Chapter 11 - First separation

**Disclaimer:** J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters and this world. I do not have any profit from writing this story.

 **Note from the author 1** : Ok, so it has been a hell of a lot of time since I last updated. Sorry… But now that I have finished with all of my lessons for my master's degree and I have a little time between my research and my thesis I am back! Told ya I would keep it up now didn't I? And so we go on! For the first chapter in a long while! Enjoy! :D

 **Chapter 11 – First separation**

The password will be 'Fawkes', tune in for news that the prophet often decides to ignore.

When the radio was finally silent, the room fell to an oppressive standstill. It felt like all of them were rooted in place, afraid of moving in case the fragile moment where they were still safe, still hidden, was somehow disturbed and they found themselves staring in the face of some danger. The spell was broken by Hestia. She was, always the bravest of them all, Dudley thought. She gave a sigh and swept out of the room, her room, to attend to whatever task she had been doing before being interrupted by the news program. All of the others slowly filed out in turn. The two girls were whispering to themselves and a nervous Dedalus retired to his room. Dudley, having nothing to do and too much to think of, moved towards the living room intending to head outside despite the too hot sun of the September afternoon.

Entering the room, he saw his father sitting on the couch, watching the television program they were previously watching together. Had it really been such a short while ago? His father's back was ramrod straight though, warried as he always was lately when he knew his son was fraternizing with the magical people of the house. For the first time he had no patience for this behavior and even though he understood, he could not think of it as a sign of love from the parental figure. He would have passed without a word but he was stopped by the characteristic sound that announced an emergency news broadcast.

He listened in silence as the news reporter lamented the murder of the third family during the last few weeks. Work of the same man, he said, with the air of a man feigning sadness rather than actually feeling it, the murderer that killed without trace. Vernon Dursley was muttering loudly to himself and almost caused Dudley to miss the next sentence.

The coldblooded murderer is one of the most terrifying of the century being responsible for more than 10 deaths in the span of a few months and is known to leave no trace for the police to…

It's Him. Sara's voice came from close beside him making his father look perplexed and angry at the same time at the thought of her addressing him directly.

What are you on about girl?

It's You-know-Who Sara explained.

No I do not know who or I wouldn't have asked! His father exploded in anger, getting up from the couch and stepping towards them but Dudley did understand.

She means it's the one that's after Harry, Dad. His father turned to look at him and at that very moment two things transpired almost at the same time. Hestia's voice came from somewhere behind them saying, His name is Voldemort. and a very loud crash came from outside.

Loud voices accompanied the crushing that sounded from the yard and the loudest one shouted something like: Bombarda.

Then, the world came crushing down on them. Splinters and rumble filled the air, showering the three people that were standing in the living room. Dudley felt himself falling to his knees as something caught him above the brow and immediately his vision was blurred by crimson. A screech from somewhere behind him indicated that Sara had been hurt and Dudley lifted his, somewhat inhibited, gaze in time to see his father retreating to the hallway while flashes of light were flying above his and Sara's head, where she was cowering behind the couch with a hand pressed to her shoulder. Head throbbing and slightly disoriented he tried to reach her both to see if she was ok and for the protection the furniture would provide.

All the while he could hear Hesta's voice murmuring words he could not understand, loud clashing and grunting as well as other voices shouting, the flashes of light that were passing over his head never ceasing. He finally reached Sara and saw she had nothing worse than a bloody cheek and a cut on her shoulder. He breathed out in relief as she sucked in a breath, seeing his bloody brow, much worse looking than it actually was. After an infinite number of seconds everything went quiet.

Sara helped him to his feet, having, god knows how, felt that he needed the support as the world was spinning a bit still and they both stood to survey their surroundings.

Hestia was standing in the middle of the room (when had she moved there he could not say for the life of him) her hand outstretched, her wand poised and her forearm bleeding from a rugged cut. Four men clad in black were scattered around the room. None of them was moving. Two where laying bound by invisible bonds, only the eyes contrasting the total stillness, rapidly moving about the room. One more was pale and bleeding by a series of rugged cuts scattered all over him, obviously having lost consciousness because of the blood-loss. The last one was sprawled half in and half out of the huge hole the living room wall was now sporting.

At that moment Dedalus and Emily burst in the living room and stood there, looking at the debris that covered everything, including them, Dudley knew. Hestia took a deep breath, passed her wand over the bleeding cut on her forearm, which immediately stopped bleeding and turned to look at those assembled.

To his great astonishment and panic, Dudley could see fear in her eyes and to his greatest astonishment and awe he saw it dim almost to nothing being replaced by determination and strength. Her voice was calm and authoritative when she spoke.

Dedalus I do not know how they found us but we must move to plan B regardless.

Dedalus swallowed hard and clenched his wand before nodding, with only a slight tremor on his voice when he spoke. That surprised Dudley. The man was not a total coward after all.

We've got to find Mr. and Ms. Dursley before they do something dangerous.

Hestia sighed visibly and turned toward the hallway, giving instructions while she moved away.

Dedalus go and make sure they don't do anything foolish. Kids, I want you to go and pack a bag pack each with a few necessities. Move together, I don't want us separating now, and be quick about it.

She was gone and it took a few frozen minutes before it registered with any of them that it was time to move. The first to get out of the trance was Emily. She jittered for a moment and then elbowed her sister. Sara shook her head in a motion befitting a great shaggy dog Dudley remembered seeing, cleared her throat and caught his hand and Emily's in each of her own, dragging them with her to climb the stairs. They chose to go to Dudley's room first, it being the further one, and he packed a few randomly chosen (and dirty) clothes in his school bag, stuffed his savings (a pack of cigarettes full of banknotes) and his wallet in the front pocket along with a phone card, his key chain and a pocketknife. He wore his boxing gloves around his neck, strapped the bag on his back, took his smelting's cane on one hand (because one never knows what one will need) and turned to face the girls that were waiting for him by the door. Instantly he felt embarrassed by the state of his room but he knew this was not the time for bashfulness. He motioned them to turn around and they headed for Hestia's room where the girls slept. Hestia had already been there, evidently packing everything in a couple of minutes, as the room resembled a faceless hotel room rather than the bright place it had been that very morning. The few possessions the girls had accumulated during their stay were placed neatly in a sports bag, the two wands they had been using placed on top, were waiting for them. Sara picked the bag and each of the girls took one wand before the three of them rushed downstairs.

In the destroyed living room, they found that an almost brawl was taking place between a disheveled Dedalus and Dudley's parents. The man was desperately trying to get a good enough hold on them to disapparate safely. Not unexpectedly, Hestia huffed and Dudley felt her move gracefully towards the three squabbling adults. He knew instinctively what was going to happen then, in a déjà vu moment. Sure enough, she disentangled Dedalus seemingly with no effort at all and with a See you at Brighton she desapparated taking the Dursley's with her, mid runt.

Dudley was left staring at the place were Hestia had disappeared for what felt the hundredth time. Dedalus taking a few deep breaths to collect himself turned to look at his three young charges.

Well kids, if you will all grab a hold of me we will also be going.

Dudley had just moved his attention to the older man's face or he would have missed the flicker of fear. As it was, he had about two moment's notice from when Dedalus froze to when chaos ensued. Dedalus moved fast, faster than Dudley thought possible for this old-ish and fraying man. At the same time as he dragged the two girls down with him, Dedalus had erected a golden shield between them and the black clad wizard that had presumably regained consciousness or had been feigning unconsciousness. Dudley moved instinctively, laying his things down slowly and moving inch by inch closer to the wizard that was focused on Dedalus, trading flashes of light back and forth. Too late did the man notice his big bulk. Before he had time to move, Dudley was upon him, crushing him between his massive body and the wall, one hand on the man's throat jamming his air-pipe.

The man's eyes bulged and he tried to fight him off but Dudley was a boxing champion. He had truly pinned him in place in such a way that it was impossible for him to move a single muscle and he would soon lose consciousness from the lack of air. With a strangled breath, the man whispered two words before his eyes rolled backwards. A green light shot from beneath Dudley's arm…

To be continued…

 **Note from the author 2:** If you find that a review of yours has been erased then i am terribly sorry. I do appreciate and remember each and every one of them (not very difficult to do with so few of them). I have revised the previous chapters so that i was in tune with this story of mine before attempting to continue it and boy i found mistakes... I will upload the revised chapters when i find time, so every review that is in any of them, will be, sadly, erased. Kindly forgive me for all the mistakes i have corrected and for all of those that i have not and will not from now on. English is not my native language and i do not have a beta. If there is anyone out there that has been waiting, thank you and sorry it took so long.


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